Coin chute



Aug. 10, 1943.

w. PATZER ETAL com CHUTE' l Filed oct. 7. 19:59

Wallzam, Pager M WalezJafSc/ INVENTORS.

15K/5 A'rro Patented Aug.;` 10, 1943 corN CHUTE William Patzer and Walter A. Tratsch,

Chicago, Ill. Application October 7, 1939, Serial No. 2981,394

4 Claims. v (Cl. 194-97) This invention relates to improvements in coin testing devices, particularly the typein which there is provided a descending coin passage down which coins may roll, and having testing means disposed adjacent Ithe entrance to said passage, one of the principal objects being the provision of blocking means for momentarilypreventing entrance of coins into the passage and causing such coins to be deected or guided into positive testing relationship vwith said testing means.

A further and more particular object is the combination with a coin chute, of a pivoted blocking member disposed in advance oi the entrance to the coin passage so as to be engaged by coins deposited in the chute and effective to deiectsuch coins into' a certain position from which they may thereafter gravitate down'the chute andpush the blocking member out of the way, there being testing means arranged adiacent said predetermined position and all coin elementsbeing directed into testing position Vrelative to the testing means by action of the blocking member.

Other objects and novel aspects of the invention relate to certain details of construction as well as the cooperative arrangement of the component parts of the illustrative embodiment set forth herein in view of the annexed drawing, in which: I

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a coin chute;

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross section to enlarged' scale along line 2-2 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal and vertical section lookingin the direction of line B- of Fig. 2, and likewise to enlarged scale.

Referring to Fig. 1, a preferred chute structure with which theinvention may be used comprises a main plate member I having offset ears Ii along its upper edge and in which is seated a pintle rod I2 from which is pivotally suspendsuccessfully strike the anvil I8 and, if legitimate or acceptable, rebound over the exit I5 and the separator Il into the passage I6 which constitutes an acceptance opening or exit. If

the coin'is not a proper one, it will drop intov e lthe exit I5 which constitutes a reject exit.

Other testing means include the provision of a permanent magnet which may have poles 20 downwardly inclined runway ledge `2| is secured to the inner side ofthe gate and guides gravitating coin elements through the iield of the permanent` magnet for testing purposes. A keeper platev22 of magnetic material (Fig. 1)-is secured on the gate opposite the poles 2D of the magnet to furthery concentrate the eld of the latter and lengthen the life thereof. The keeper plate also provides 'an additional means for properly closing the gate since it is attracted by the magnet.

'I'he gate is adapted to be opened by a lever 23 which may be depressed to cause a cam arm 24 to bear against a roller 2t on the gate and pivot the latter into open position for the purpose of withdrawing the support oi the ledge 2I from any coins arrested in the passage. A sweep 26, pivoted as at 21, is also engaged oy a cam roller 28 actuated by lever 23 to cause the sweep to move from its normally raised unobstructing position (Fig. 3), past the poles 2t of the magnet to dislodge any magnetically attractable objects or coins arrested by the magnet, the sweep acting simultaneously with the opening of the gate. Coin elements and other objects dislodgedA by operation of lever 23 in opening the gate and actuating the sweep may drop into the reject exit I-S or into a reject apron 29 which terminates at its lower end opposite the exit I5.

ed a side-opening or scavenging gate I3. This The anvil I8 anks the side passageb I5 opposite .the separator Il, and in the normal operation of the chute, coins passing the vtesting means Coin elements are deposited for testing in theV apparatus through an entrance opening 30 (Figs.

1 and 3) at one upper corner of the chute above the upper reaches or level of the runway 2 I, .and as observed in Fig. 3, it will appear that the coins may be moved into the entrance at several angles oi approach, that is, they may be dropped' straight 4into .the entrance as illustratedby the ing 'machines'and coin-controlled devices having tuin delivery guideways which may deliver the i k coins into the chute at different angles of approach.

-The main coin passage being regarded as the space between the gate |3 and plate I0 as well as the space above the exits' I5 and IS along the path of coins towa'rd the latter, the entrance to the passage is the opening 30. 'region of the passage below the entrance 30 and to the left of the sweep 26 above runway 2| may be said to constitute a sort of antechamber to the 'principal passage portions, and in this lsense,

therefore, it could be said that the real entrance tothe coin passage isdisposed 'in the region beneath the left-hand extremity of the sweep 26 above runway 2| and just to the left of the magnet pole. l

Adjacent the entrance to the coin passage and particularly the antechamber portion thereof, is

disposed a testing means in the nature of a feelerlin our copending application, issued on March 17,

1942 as Patent No. 2,277,018, led October 2, 1939, drawn to means for concentrating the -magnetic field on the main testing magnet. 'Ihe lower end portion of the iinger 35 projects through a ver'- tically elongated opening 39 in the gate and across the pathof coins gravitating from the upper reach of the runway. The weight member 36 is a means for yieldingly urging the finger into position to engage the side portions of the coins for projection'into any aperture or enlarged depressions therein, to arrest such coins and hold the same until the gate is opened, the gate When thus moved ultimately engaging the nearer edge of weight 36 to rock the same and move the nger 35 out of engagement with the coin, such coin dropping onto the discharge apron 29 for ultimate rejection through exit I5, it being observed that because of inertia the weight tends to remain stationary as the gate opens.

Another preliminary testing means which is likewisedisposed adjacent the entrance portions of the coin passage is a magnetic arm 40 having one lend disposed close `to one of the'poles20 of the-permanent magnet so as to be magnetized by the latter, and having. an opposite end portion 4| situated at one side of the feeler remote from the magnet to provide a localized magnetic .fleldfor arresting pins and miscellaneous magnetic substances, including magnetic coin elements, with the object of preventing movement of suchobjects into the field of the principalmagnet. Such an auxiliarymagnetic `field localizing means is particularly described and claimed in our copendng application, Serial No. 291,804,

However, the' any preliminary testing means such as the feeler or the auxiliary magnetic: means 4|, and to this end the invention-provides a deecting or blocking member in the form` of an arm pivoted as at 46. on lthe feelerbracket 38 for movement about an axis extending transversely of the plane of the coin passage.

Coin engaging means is provided in the form of a laterallyA projecting stud 41 on the lower end portion of the arm 45 and which extends through an arcuate slot 48 in the gate into the coin passage at a point (Fig. 3) 'above the level of the feeler 35 andbetween the latter and the nearest pole 20 of the permanent magnet. Accordingly, the coin engaging member 41 is disposed inthe path of coin elementsmoving in the passage in the region adjacent the entrance 30, that is, in the antechamber portion of the passage between the chute entrance 30 and the magnet poles 20, and it will be apparentthat the coin engaging member 41 blocks movement of coin elements into the main portions of the coin passage so long as the arm 45 is in its normally pendent position.

The several positions successively assumed by the coin C1 upon being dropped vertically into the entrance 30, are illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, and it will be apparent from the indication C1 that the coin will strike the member 41 and thus be blocked from entering into the main portions of the passage, such coin being deflected toward the higher end of the runway 2|, and. hence toward a higher level of the passage in the antechamber. into a predetermined testing lposition indicated by the position C2 of the deposited coin. In this latter position, the coin is caused to hesitate momentarily, during which time thetesting means 4|, for example, may better-perform its testing functions, and the coin is thus prevented from escaping the iniiuence of coin into a testing space or other predetermined position opposite the testing means near the upper end of the runway or'coin passage. However, unless the coins .thus deilected are arrested by the preliminary testing means 35 or 4|, they will begin to gravitate down the runway upon led August 25, 1939, and issued as Patent No. 2,279,488 on April 14, 1942, and 'also in our copending application, Serial No. 291,805, filedv August 25, 1939 and issued as Patent No. 2,278,129

on March 21, 1942. In general, the testing means 4l-,4I is intended to prevent certain kinds of with the provision of movable blocking means for assuring thatl coin elements willl move into position to be tested properly and positively lby striking the same, and at this time the defiecting or blocking means 41 is usually pivoted a small amount to the right from its normal position as indicated at-41', and. the gravitation of such coins down the passage ultimately pivots the member 41 competely out of its path as indi? cated at 41", so that the coin may pass freely beneath the same on downthe passage. It will also be apparent that the action of the coins in defiecting from the member 41 and subsequently moving the sameout oi!v its way, is the same regardless of the angle of approach of the coins glihn the limits possible in the illustration oi.'

The importance of the foregoing arrangemen .will be obvious in s0 far as it prevents the coins from evading the preliminary testing means al-- together. A further consideration of importance resides in the fact that since certain fraudulent coins to be tested by the feeler 35 should be positioned to roll past the same a distance approximately equal to the diameter oi' the coin so that they will turn into a position in which the feeler may most eiectively engage in said slots. Much the same thing is true of coins which are centrally apertured, since such coins must either be positioned with their centers exactly opposite the feeler or so that the center of the coins will roll past the feeler.

The various advantages and objects of the inby coin elements descending down said descending coin passage.

3. In a coin testing device including a coin chute having a runway down which coins may roll, an ante chamber formed in said coin chute at the upper region of said runway, coin testing means in said coin chute and exposed to said ante chamber for aiecting certaincoin elements passing therethrough, a, pendently supported blocking means arranged on said coin chute and having a lateral portion normally disposed'in the path of movement of coins through said ante chamber and said runway and engageable by coins gravitating toward said runway to deflect coin passage, testing means atl the juncture of said entrance passage and said coin passage, a pendently pivoted defiector having a coin engaging portion disposed in said coin passage on a side of said testing means toward the lower levels of said coin passage and in a vertical plane within the side marginsv of said entrance passage for normal engagement by coins in advance of gravitation thereof onto said inclined coin passage to deflect coins toward said testing means and being swingable in a direction away from said testing means to permit gravital movement of coins down said inclined coin passage.

2. In a coin chute having a descending coin passage, an entrance passageterminating at the upper reach of said descending passage, coin testing means positioned at the point of convergence of said descending passage and said entrance passage and below the latter, the combination with said' testing means of a defiector pivotally suchcoins toward said coin testing means and swingable out of normal position by coins of a predetermined weight and diameter descending along said runway.

4. A coin testing device comprising, in combi-y nation. a coin chute formed to denne adescending coin passage, an inclined runway in said de! scending coin passage, a coin entrance formed in said coin chute in a vertical plane above the upper region of said inclined runway and spaced from the latter by a vertical coin passage formed therebetween, coin testing means arranged in said coin chute at the point oi juncture ofsaid vertical coin passage with said inclined runway,

means adapted to deiiect coins positively into a predetermined testing position relative to said testing means during descending movement of said coins from said coin entrance toward said inclined runway, said means including a deflector member mounted to pivot about an axis transverse to said coin passage, said deflector member having a coin engaging part disposed in` said coin passage in the `region of the vertical marign of said vertical coin passage farthest removed from said coin testing means in the path of movement out of the way of such certain coinswheremeans and swingable out oi! deecting position by the latter wm continue to descend down said I inclined runway.

WILLIAM PATZER. WALTER A. TRATSCH. 

